2021 Mein Grosses Puzzlebuch Fabeln von La Fontaine. Translated by Britta Kholer. Illustrations by Marisa Vestita. Hardbound. Milan: White Star Kids: White Star. €14.95 from Froehlich & Kaufmann, April, '22.
What a different sort of book! What one notices first about this 12" x 11" book is its heaviness. Take off the wrapper, and it is clear that we have five heavy-stock picture puzzle pages inside with about 56 pieces each. The simple designs are pleasant and help make for easier rather than harder placement of the pieces. I recognize the artistic approach from the seven other other Vestita books from White Star in the collection. This is an impressive piece of book engineering! I am not sure I have seen the likes of it before. I will cross-reference it among puzzles under "Toys.
1890? Chromolithographs. NIY: McLoughlin Brothers. 9.7” x 12.” Prose text along with, on the verso, two other texts and their illustrations. Unknown source.
WL
Gorgeous color work of the lamb, a crying child, backed up against a wall. The ed-eyed wolf points an accusing paw at this child.
DLS
The spectacles are the crowning feature of this satirical illustration. Two aristocratic lions in the background point a hand in criticism. Though beautifully decked out in a combination of aristocratic finery and the lion’s skin, the ass manages to look through the lion’’s eye-holes – or perhaps to fake it? Gorgeous color lithography!
1880? Two tiles, GGE and MSA, done by Maw & Co. $75 each through Ebay from Howard Zar, Oct., '99. "The Doctors and the Dying Man" for $45 from UtterClutter1973 on Etsy, Dec., '20.
These tiles are done in a brown-and-white format. I have not yet succeeded in identifying the artist but the images seem so familiar! Each tile is signed "COM." So far I have three tiles in a series reported to include twelve tiles. The miller in MSA is so serious! For me the greatest interest in GGE lies in the surprise on the woman's face as she looks on."The Doctors" is a rather unusual fable to illustrate but absolutely true to experience, not just in medicine!
1920? X. Mauzan, "Le loup et l'agneau." "Tu la troubles! lui dit cette bête cruelle." €6 from Dominique Chapelon, Yronde et Buron, at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05.
The lamb in the foreground is very well done. Wading in the water, she is the picture of innocence. He or she is been playing with a paper sailboat. The illustration puts the wolf some distance away. The verso has been written on but apparently never sent, at least as an independent postcard.
1920? X. Mauzan, "Les voleurs et l'âne." "Arrive un troisième larron/Qui saisit maître Aliboron." €6 from Dominique Chapelon, Yronde et Buron, at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. Extra for €6 from Recto-Verso, Strasbourg, July, '19.
The shift to children may not be entirely successful here. The scene thus loses most of its serious bearing. Exploiting each possible element of the scene leads to having the ass fight against the lead of the third thief.
